Jay D ‘resiliant’

It came down to one play, 3 yards.
The Starfires, already successful on a pair of two-point conversions, were seeking a third, and the win.
The Patriots, who had their backs against the wall after allowing the visitors to zip 65 yards down the field in just over a minute for the potential game-winning score, needed just one stop for a homecoming win.
Marcus Teeter took the snap and made a short pitch right to Joe Stuber, the same play that had worked for them on two previous conversions. This time, the hole wasn’t there.
Jay County High School’s defense, resilient, brought Stuber to the ground well short of the end zone, and the Patriots ran out the remaining 19 seconds for a 29-28 victory over South Adams.
Resilience had been the theme a night earlier when JCHS wrestling coach Eric Myers served as the guest speaker for the football team following its Thursday practice.
“He said that word just kept coming back,” said Millspaugh. “We talked about, ‘Keep competing. Give your self a chance to win. Don’t give up. Be resilient.’
“It was so fitting … that he had that conversation (Thursday) night with our kids. There were the peaks. There were the valleys.
“They have all the momentum, punch that thing in, they go for two, and our kids dig in.”
South Adams coach Grant Moser wasn’t surprised at the nature of the game. He expected a battle, but it was the errors and missed opportunities that left him wondering “what if” afterward.
“We knew it would be a great game,” he said. “They’re underrated. They don’t get a whole lot of love in the Fort Wayne press and stuff. … We knew it would be a dogfight tonight.
“We made so many mistakes. So many penalties killed us. The first drive of the game, holding stalled our drive.”
While the first drive didn’t go as they would have liked, the Starfires (4-3, 2-2 ACAC) came up big late, taking a 22-21 lead with 9:36 to go on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Teeter to Cameron Cook and a two-point conversion run from Stuber.
Jay County (4-3, 3-2 ACAC) reclaimed the advantage when Holton Hill hit Bryan Stancliffe, who had signaled to his quarterback that he was changing his route from a dig to a fade because of the coverage, with a 35-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-6. A two-point conversion pass from Hill to Cole Stigleman put the Patriot lead back at seven and set the stage for the exciting finish.
A Starfire fumble followed by a Jay County punt gave the visitors the ball with 1:36 remaining, and they wasted no time moving down the field. The second play was a 43-yard strike from Teeter to Cook over the middle, and another pass from Teeter to Isaiah Baumgartner moved the ball to the 3-yard line. Three plays later Teeter scored on a quarterback keeper, leaving SAHS down one.
With starting kicker Andres Martinez unavailable for the game, the call was easy — go for two. Moser went with the play that had worked twice already, only to have Stuber stopped short.
All aspects of the game came into play for Jay County, which forced three turnovers, including a pair of fumble recoveries from sophomore Daniel Ostrowski, a 52-yard punt return from Jacob Geesaman to set up a touchdown and some key throws from quarterback Holton Hill. The junior signal-caller, who started on the bench for the first time this season, entered the game in the second quarter and immediately hit Stancliffe for a 13-yard reception. The same pair connected on a 52-yard strike moments later that set up Hill’s first touchdown pass — a 9-yard fade on fourth down to Michael Schlecthy.
He added the other fourth-down TD to Stancliffe (four receptions, 103 yards) as he completed four passes for 106 yards.
“I’m just here to do what’s best for the team,” said Hill. “I want them to put the best guys out there that are going to win them the game. And I’ve always got to stay loose and ready, and when it’s my chance I’ve got to go get it.”
Cole Stigleman added 92 yards on 14 carries for the Patriots.
Teeter also had a big night throwing the ball as he connected on nine passes for 214 yards and a pair of TDs to Cook, who caught six balls for 157 yards. Isaiah Baumgartner added 140 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
The Starfires out-gained Jay County 437-258, but were hurt by the three turnovers in addition to six penalties.